Ajo Blanco Recipe – Chilled Almond Soup

Ajo blanco is a delicious cold almond and garlic soup typical of southern Spain. Some say it’s the precursor to better known Spanish cold soups like gazpacho and salmorejo. This would make sense, as the ingredients were all available before the discovery of the Americas (unlike tomatoes, the staple of the other recipes).

Delicious and refreshing ajo blanco.

I’ve been searching for a good ajo blanco recipe for years, so I was thrilled to find out we’d be making it in my culinary school classes. When I opened the recipe I was skeptical at first– one of the ingredients was apple, something I’d never seen in the soup before (except as a topping). But when I tasted the end result I understood why the apple makes a great addition!

This ajo blanco recipe is simple, but there are some tricks to making sure it comes out well. First, try to use Marcona almonds. These delicious Spanish almonds have a unique flavor and really do make a difference. Next, soak the almonds in water overnight. This makes them easier to blend and a lot creamier. As usual, use extra virgin olive oil and ideally Sherry vinegar. And go easy on the garlic — start with a small clove or even half of one (you can always add more!).